01 May,2026 05:31 PM IST | Nashik | mid-day online correspondent
Kharat, who is believed to have political connections, was first arrested on March 18. File Pic
A court in Maharashtra's Nashik remanded self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kharat to police custody until May 4 in a cheating case involving a Pune-based businessman, who was allegedly defrauded of more than Rs 5 crore, reported the PTI.
The case is being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is already probing multiple cases linked to him.
According to the complaint, the Pune businessman alleged that he spent large sums of money on Kharat, including sponsoring his foreign trips to Myanmar, Greenland and the United States, the news agency reported.
He also claimed to have gifted him a Mercedes car and provided Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of a farmhouse at Kharat's demand.
The FIR registered at Sarkarwada police station in Nashik states that the accused allegedly took around Rs 5 crore along with a luxury car worth Rs 90 lakh.
According to the PTI, due to security reasons, Kharat was not physically produced in court. The hearing was conducted through video conferencing.
The SIT had sought police custody for further investigation, stating that detailed questioning was required due to the scale of financial transactions involved.
The defence opposed the custody plea, arguing that the SIT was repeating the same grounds in multiple cases and there was no strong justification for further custody, as per the PTI.
However, the court accepted the prosecution's argument that this was a separate case involving substantial money and required further investigation.
This is the ninth case registered against Ashok Kharat. In eight other cases, he faces serious allegations, including sexual exploitation of women.
Kharat, who is believed to have political connections, was first arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years.
He is alleged to have sexually exploited multiple women by claiming divine powers and knowledge of black magic, while also engaging in large-scale financial fraud, reported PTI.
Investigators say they were examining a wider pattern of financial and criminal offences linked to him, reported the PTI.
The SIT is continuing its probe into all related cases and is expected to question the accused further during the custody period.
The officials said that more details may emerge as the investigation progresses.
(with PTI inputs)
